Dental Cosmetic

A bridge is a dental restoration used to replace one or more missing teeth in the mouth.
A dental bridge is very similar to a dental crown. In fact, they’re made of the same material and replace the same part of the tooth. The key difference is that a bridge is made out of several crowns fused together to form a “bridge” that goes from one healthy tooth to another, replacing any missing teeth in between.
For example, if you’re missing a single tooth and replace it with a fixed bridge, you will have a bridge made out of three dental crowns.
The crowns at either end of a dental bridge are placed over healthy teeth. This is what anchors the bridge in place. The teeth are shaved down so that the crowns can fit over them properly, and then cemented in place.

Fixed bridges allow you to replace missing teeth to restore looks, functionality, or both. Bridges can also be supported by one or more dental implants. The benefit of implant-supported bridges is that you typically don’t need to shave down healthy teeth; since the bridge is supported by the implant, the crowns at the ends don’t need to be placed on teeth, keeping healthy teeth untouched.
Like dental crowns, fixed bridges can be made from a variety of materials such as:

• Porcelain
• Zirconium
• Porcelain-over-metal
• Gold

Different materials will suit different budgets, needs, and personal esthetic preferences.

Dental porcelain is a popular material for sturdy, long-lived mouth restorations which look like real teeth. It’s also used in crowns, bridges, and to form the teeth of dentures in many cases.
The act of attaching a veneer to the tooth is referred to as bonding. There are two types of bonding methods for veneers: direct, and indirect.
Direct bonding refers to making the veneer directly on your tooth. Indirect bonding means the veneer is first fabricated in a laboratory before being cemented in place.
Only composite veneers can be directly bonded to teeth. It’s applied to the teeth as a paste that’s then hardened in place with special curing lights. Porcelain veneers can only be indirect bonded to teeth, and composite can be indirect bonded when necessary.

Your teeth go through a lot every day; from coffee in the morning to a glass of red wine or bite of blueberry pie for dessert, your teeth face stains all the time. For the most part, this is fine. But after a few years, your teeth may become stained and show other signs of wear and tear. When that happens, a course of teeth whitening can be just what you need.
Teeth whitening is a purely cosmetic treatment. The health of your teeth and the color of your teeth are not strictly linked. While unhealthy teeth can be dark yellow, brown, or black, off-white teeth are perfectly natural. For most people, teeth whitening is just a way to achieve a brighter-looking smile that they prefer.
There are two main types of teeth whitening treatment: in-chair, and at-home.

In-chair teeth whitening is performed in a dental office, under the supervision of a dentist or their team. In just 1 hour or so, you can get your teeth 5-7 shades brighter. There are a variety of in-chair systems, such as Zoom, bleach, and laser whitening.
At-home systems are those that you take home with you and use at your own convenience. These use weaker concentrations than in-chair systems but can achieve the same results over the course of several months.
How much your teeth will whiten with teeth whitening is based on a few factors — the method used, your susceptibility to treatment, and with at-home whitening, how well you stick to the schedule. Thin of teeth whitening like tanning; everyone will tan different amounts at different rates, but in the end, everybody tans and ends up with a significant change to how they started.

For the longest time, dental fillings were made out of a material known as dental amalgam. Dental amalgam is a dark, metal alloy that could be easily inserted into a cavity to plug it and restore the health of a tooth.
Resin fillings are a modern alternative made out of a material known as dental composite. Dental composite is a resin made of plastic and ground glass that can be colored to match the look of the surrounding tooth.

Resin fillings provide numerous benefits over amalgam fillings, such as:

• Improved appearance. Resin fillings blend in with the surrounding tooth and are very difficult to notice.

• Less likely to damage teeth. Amalgam fillings are very hard and brittle. If they’re not properly fitted, the pressure of biting onto the tooth can turn the filling into a spike that drives into the tooth and can potentially cause it to chip or crack. As a metal, it’s also susceptible to changes in temperature that can change its shape. Resin fillings won’t expand or contract and come loose, and aren’t tough enough to damage the tooth if they do.
• No mercury. While mercury used in amalgam is in very low amounts and not at significant risk of entering the bloodstream, many patients still worry about its presence. Resin fillings are the perfect alternative for people who want to avoid mercury in their mouths.